A Blessing
by Blondiee Leah
Summary: An aleternate one shot of what could've happened in the corset scene between Ruth and Rose. Remember to read and review because I love reviews :


**Hey everyone! This is just an alternate one shot of what could of and should of happened in the corset scene between Ruth and Rose. Hope you like it remember to review. **

Ruth steamed down the corridor. Anger flowing through her veins, her blood boiling with frustration. This was all too familiar to her; she didn't want it to happen again. How could this be? She had heard about the steerage part Rose had attended with Jack the night before, and she had heard about Cal's tantrum at breakfast this morning. Everything was too wrong. She needed to put an end to it once and for all. She flung open the door to the cabin with haste and sure enough Rose was there been corseted up by Trudy.

"Tea Trudy," Ruth ordered.

Although corseting Rose, Trudy had no choice but to obey Ruth. She simply curtseyed and left the room leaving the pair alone. Rose turned around and glared at her mother, a glare that pierced Ruth's heart. Ruth simply moved over to Rose and began corseting her pulling at the lace hard. There was a brief silence and an awkward tension in the room before Ruth finally spoke.

"Rose we need to talk,"

Rose snorted and didn't answer.

"It's very serious,"

"I don't need to hear it mother. I'm fed up of been told how disappointed everyone is with me,"

"That's not it," Ruth said

Rose snapped herself round and dared respond. "I know you disapprove of him mother. He's not good enough for me is that it?" Rose said making assumptions.

"No please just listen to me for one second!" Ruth demanded.

Rose continued to stare at her before leaning against the post waiting for her mother's explanation.

So here it was the secret she had kept a secret for so long. Not uttered a word to anyone not even her husband. A secret that had never been spoken of since she was sixteen. Ruth looked at her daughter, she deserved to know.

"I know how it feels to be in this situation," Ruth spoke.

Rose looked at her slightly confused. How so? She thought to herself.

"You see I remember my first love," Ruth said softly. "And it wasn't your father," She added.

Rose looked at her in shock. Could this be true? Ruth began to awkwardly pace the room holding her hands together. She didn't know if she should continue. Rose and her husband had been very close. Would it be fair to say to her he was always second best, a bit like what Cal was to Rose. Of course Samuel had always treated her right and she had loved him dearly. Ruth glanced at Rose, whose eyes told her to continue.

Ruth took a deep breath. "You see when I was nearly your age I met this wonderful man. He was so warming and gentle he taught me how to love. He used to take me dancing. He gave me freedom I thought I never had. Henry was every young woman's dream, and he wanted me. We were in love, but we could never be happy because we had to sneak around all the time,"

Rose looked at her mother and was about to ask why when Ruth continued.

"You see Rose, Henry was, Henry was our stable boy," Ruth said rushing her last sentence.

Rose's eyes widened in shock. Her mother, her judgemental mother who detested lower class people was in love with a stable boy. Who was this woman? Rose's mind wandered to last night when Ruth had tried to publically humiliate Jack at dinner. Who looked at him like an insect, a dangerous insect that needed to be squashed quickly.

"Mother..." Rose began.

"I know, I know what you're going to say," Ruth laughed. "How is that even possible?"

Rose looked down nibbling on her lips.

"I wonder it myself sometimes. Wonder why I'm like that, I tried to forget him. I guess just seeing you with Mr Dawson brought everything back to me."

There was a silence while Rose tried her best to take everything in. Did this mean her mother understood her?

"What happened?" Rose asked eager to hear more about her mother's secret love.

Ruth turned to face her tears clouding over her eyes. "We were torn away that's what happened."

"Mother caught us in the stables together. She had her suspicions for weeks. She wanted rid of him, she had no proof that anything was happening between us so father refused to sack such a good worker. When she announced I was to attend finishing school the prospect of losing him was too much so I rushed out to find him. Mother followed me and caught us embracing,"

Ruth shuddered at the memory. She could still feel her mother's tight grip on her wrist as she dragged her from the stables back to the house. She could remember screaming for her to leave them both alone.

"So she threw a rage of course. She dragged me out of the stables screaming that I would never see him again. My father he sacked him straight off neither of them would listen to me. They didn't think he was good enough. I ran after him but he told me that we couldn't go on like this anymore, he loved me but we were from two separate worlds. He wanted the best for me. I went away to finishing school, spent months crying over him, praying for our next meeting, but I never saw him again," Ruth finished she put a hand over her mouth and tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Oh Mother," Rose pitied. She made her way over to comfort her.

Ruth gently grabbed Rose. "I loved your father very much; I love you both so much don't ever think I don't." Ruth said anxiously.

"I know," Rose reassured.

Ruth gently put her hands on both of her daughter's cheeks. "I just always wanted the best for you Rose. I was selfish to think I could force you into marrying someone you didn't love for my own purposes. I know Mr Dawson makes you happy Rose. The way I saw you look at him last night during his speech and the sadness in your voice when he had to leave. I know you care for him, because I used to look at Henry like that. I was willing to throw everything away for Henry, prepared to be disowned by my parents. I won't ever leave you my darling daughter. If you want to be with Jack, I give you my blessing,"

Tears of joy poured down Rose's cheeks, she had been waiting for this moment for so long. The moment where Ruth would be happy and proud of her no matter what she did. Her freedom had been granted. Rose threw her arms around Ruth and held her tight.

"I'm sorry that you lost Henry Mother," She whispered in her ear.

"Oh Rose," Ruth said pulling out of the hug. "I lost Henry, but through that loss I gained you."

Rose smiled, she knew her mother loved her and her father deeply there was no denying that. Ruth's walls seemed to of been broken down through the harbouring of Henry's spirit she finally had let him go.

Ruth slowly turned Rose around and finished corseting her up. They both chose a deep ocean blue dress for Rose to go meet Jack. Ruth added the final feature of the butterfly hair piece gently woven round half of her hair.

"You look beautiful Rose,"

"Thank you mother, for everything." Rose said, she didn't to bring the next comment up but she knew she had to. "What am I to do about Cal?"

Ruth sighed. "Don't worry Rose I will sort everything," She kissed her on the cheek and watched as Rose scurried out to find Jack.

Ruth watched her daughter leave and moments later Cal appeared. Ruth had once found him the perfect match for Rose. Handsome and respectable, but now she saw nothing but a cold hearted man who only cared about money, and dared lay hands on her daughter. Cal stormed past Ruth into the room and began searching for Rose. Ruth calmly shut the door and folded her arms.

"Where is she?" Cal demanded.

"Gone," Ruth simply replied.

"Gone where?"

"To find Mr Dawson I presume,"

Cal looked at Ruth in shock. She was approving of this!

"Yes Cal, she doesn't love you. I don't even think you love her; you only want her to inherit your father's fortune. I can't make her do this, the engagement is off," Ruth announced.

"I refuse to believe you actually mean this Ruth! I gave you and that girl everything. Do you want to be penniless urchins roaming the streets? Do you want to lose everything?" Cal shouted in frustration.

"I was prepared to do it once, and I'm prepared to do it again. You can't put a price on love Cal, I was wrong to think you ever could. If you honestly cared about Rose the tiniest little bit, you would let her go,"

Cal's face softened as he realised he had lost. He nodded slowly and made his way over to the door and left.

Ruth was left alone, she picked up the engagement ring Rose had left on the table and realised the hardship she had made her daughter face over the past few months. At least she had made amends now, stopped how she was behaving before it was too late.

Ruth realised now that you can't direct the course of love, because love will always find a way.

**Hope you liked it, it's just a thing that came to me. I forgot to mention I briefly based it on a scene from the Notebook. Tell me what you think please.**


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